New Greek leader prepares to take on the anarchists

Hundreds of extremist cells have emerged in Greece and proposed reforms from the conservative prime minister may herald a new wave of violence, Anthee Carassava reports

About 450 extremist cells have emerged in the past decade, with the district of Exarchia becoming a breeding ground for militant anarchists

MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY

Thursday July 11 2019, 5.00pm, The Times

In Athens, the gritty district of Exarchia has become a symbol of anarchy and discontent.

Neoclassical buildings decked with wrought iron balconies are covered in graffiti. Shops, banks and bars bear the scars of violent political protests and Molotov cocktails thrown by gangs. Posters and stickers with slogans from the inane to the profane cover the walls.

Little wonder that the authorities felt relief as voting in Sunday’s snap election appeared to go smoothly, without disturbance in the troubled district.

It was not to last. Minutes before the final vote was cast, groups of youths clad in black, wielding sledgehammers and wearing keffiyeh scarfs, stormed Exarchia’s main polling station, throwing gas bombs before evading arrest and running off with the ballot box.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the new prime minister, won roughly 40 per cent of the vote